A phone holds years of photos and backs up none of them until you ask it to. Free storage covers more than most people think, and two minutes of setup protects all of it.
Know where the free storage is
Where to find it: iCloud: Settings, your name, iCloud. Google: Google One, Storage
Every Apple account includes 5 GB of iCloud storage, and every Google account includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos. Look at what is used before you pay for more.
Switch on backup in Google Photos
Where to find it: Google Photos, your profile picture, Photos settings, Backup
Google Photos runs on both iPhone and Android. Switch backup on while you are on Wi-Fi, choose the quality, and leave the app open until the first upload finishes. Photos saved in Original quality count against your storage.
Keep a second copy on a computer
Where to find it: A cable to the computer, then its own photos app
A cloud copy is one copy. Import your photos to a computer once a season, so a locked account or a full plan never leaves you with nothing.
Check that it worked
Where to find it: icloud.com/photos or photos.google.com, on a computer
Open your photos on a computer and find yesterday's pictures. If they are there, the backup works; if not, open the app on the phone and read its status line.
